Fire Fly of the Damned
by Moonlight Abyss
Summary: There lies two paths with two choices. One: Save them all and become life. Two: Let them all die and become death. Because in this world, you can only survive by choosing one and sticking with it. So which one will he choose? Or can even choose at all? Let's see if this young apathetic is capable of choosing.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Kamen Rider Faiz and Highschool of the Dead. I'm only doing this for the heck of it and to have some fun. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 1: A Red Firefly in the Night!**

A pair of eyes slowly opened before the owner of said eyes sat up from his bed. He let out a light yawn, then pulled the covers off him and got up. When his feet touched the ground, now standing at full height, he slip the curtains open a little to let some sunlight enter his room.

He is revealed to be a seventeen year old and based on his appearance, to most people, he would be considered odd because his yellowish gray eyes oddly have red hues in them. And the fact his black spiky hair strangely has streaks of silver highlights, which oddly seems natural, yet unnatural at the same time. Overall, aside from his outward appearance, he wore a near permanent deadpan expression that makes it hard for people to figure out what he is thinking or feeling. In short, he's basically apathetic though he is easy to approach yet hard to understand. His name is Ren Fukai.

Ren looks at the clock seeing it was still early, and has plenty of time to do what is needed to be done. Walking over to his closet, he pulled out his Fujimi Academy uniform and went to the drawers to take out a gray shirt. After doing so, he went into the bathroom to take a quick shower and get dressed.

Now dressed in his uniform, he walks over to his desk where his laptop is at and sits down before turning it on. When the screen came on, he started to type in the keyboards doing some searches and was reading some of the latest news articles to keep up with what is going on in the world. Some things were interesting and some were not, however most of the things had read weren't very interesting to begin with, since this is just an everyday routine that goes on in the world.

When he finished reading the articles online, he turned off the computer before heading into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. He turned on the TV to hear more reports on the news. It was sometimes interesting to hear what the news anchors have to say at times, along with the other casts, stating their own thoughts on everything. So after making a light breakfast, he sat down and continued to watch the news while he ate.

Most of it was about the usual stuff, sports, weather, special announcements, gossip about celebrities or some random person who either did something heroic or stupid, but mostly stupid seeing as that would catch people's eye. And of course, warning people about murders who gone around killing others and to make sure to keep an eye out, along with people who have gone missing. Nothing but the usual stuff…

Turning off the TV, he approached the closet once again to take out a small black and silver briefcase that was hidden inside bag with some extra clothes inside underneath. After taking it out, he opened it only to see a silver belt with a flashlight and camera attached to the side. He put it inside his backpack along with his laptop before heading out the door.

* * *

Stepping outside, he lightly turned his head away from the sunlight beaming in his eyes before lifting a hand to shield them.

" _So bright."_ he thought to himself before walking alongside the sidewalk.

He stopped in front of a bus stop waiting for his ride to come. A minute or so had passed when his ride finally came. Stepping inside, paying for his bus ticket, he went all the way into the back and sat near the window as he idly watched everything go by. As he enjoyed watching everything go by in a slow, yet fast motioning pace, he caught the glimpse of a bird soaring high in the sky reaching for the endless blue.

" _How interesting."_ was the thought in his mind, watching the bird fly off into the sky until it was out of sight. Before he knew it, he was at his destination.

* * *

 **(Fujimi Academy)**

Getting off the bus, Ren looks at the building known as Fujimi Academy. It was a local boarding school where students attend classes and live in the dormitories, like Ren, or live in their usual homes with parents and other family members. This school does have a good reputation for their extracurricular activities, clubs, sports, and systems. To him, it was just another school.

Walking through the gate and making his way inside the building, he climbed up the stairs before looking up ahead to see Class 2-B his homeroom. Opening the door, entering the classroom, he walked over to his desk that was on the far left back corner where the window is at. Sitting in his desk, he idly stared outside the window minding his own business again until…

"Ren!" a familiar voice called out to him.

Looking to see the person in question, and who is standing beside his desk, is a sixteen year old male with neck length black hair and has brown eyes with square shaped glasses over them.

His name is Kohta Hirano, an acquaintance from their first year of school and an otaku. He's also a major gun fanatic knowing everything about a gun from its history all the way down to its mechanics. It was an impressive and admirable feat to have, which is actually one of the most interesting facts about him. He even went to America to receive training from a former US military officer from an agency Black Water. No doubt if a gun were to be his hands, he may be somewhat unstoppable, until he would need to reload the ammunition or be taken out by surprise.

He merely looked at him, causing the other boy to awkwardly laugh at his no given response.

"Once again, you fail to greet me with any enthusiasm. Well, that's alright, I'm used to it by now." he continued. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I have to cancel our plans."

"We had plans?" questioned Ren, causing Kohta to gape and go wide eyed at him.

"Don't tell me you forgot!?" he exclaimed. "Remember, just the other day, I invited you to hang out at my place today? We were supposed to do some studying and maybe play some video games, too."

"So what happened?"

"That depends. Are you asking what happened afterwards or why we aren't hanging out today? It's really hard to tell with you, you know…?" said Kohta, slightly twitching a brow.

Ren simply stared at the otaku, making him let out a tiresome sigh.

"Oh well, I'm just going to answer you anyway. We can't hang out after school today because I'm in a little bit of trouble with my mom." he said.

"I see." he replied.

"Yeah, I stayed up late last night playing some video games, and then she took them away as part of my punishment. Well, after she found out and whatnot…" Kohta sighed before hanging his head low. "Now, I'm going to have to wait for about a week to get my glorious training and way of life back!"

"Military training isn't through playing a video game; it's just something you do for fun. Not to mention you can't train your body, or your other physical attributes." Ren told him.

"Yeah…I suppose you're right. But even so…!" Just like that, his mood had changed from depression to extremely happy. "…I'll be closer to becoming a soldier and fight for my beloved country!"

"Great speech, chubby." spoke another voice that, for some reason, caused Ren to lightly twitch a brow.

Their sights were set on a girl with long pink hair tied in pigtails, orange eyes that carried a fierce intensity, and wore a look of annoyance on her features. She was, without a doubt, very pretty…but that attitude of her is just a repellent for most people in general. This is Saya Takagi.

Saya is someone who, unfortunately, Ren knows as well. Unlike with Kohta, he had met her during their second year of middle school. And ever since then, she had been a constant annoyance to him due to always yelling at him for no apparent reason, save for a few scolds here and there. All of which were mainly about him being late to school most of the time, or just ignoring every lesson he ever had. However, in return, he ignores her most of the time. It works because she'll go away after a while.

Considering the situation now, it's most likely she won't leave because this is her homeroom as well, much to his dismay. So he might as well put up with it for now.

"T-Takagi?" stammered Kohta with a faint of red appearing on his cheeks.

Ren knew that the otaku harbors something for the pink haired girl, which confuses him greatly, because who would like someone with a mean disposition? Honestly, he just couldn't understand how someone could like her, not to mention there are a few guys here who feel the same. It was a mystery to him.

"Mind going away for second, lardo? I need to talk to this one here." Saya said, scowling at Ren while he stared at her with his blank façade.

Shamelessly enough, Kohta had actually complied with her order and walked over to his desk.

Ren inwardly sighed knowing he had it bad, or perhaps it was him who has it bad because he's now stuck with this she-devil about yap his ear off. Oh well, like before, he'll simply ignore her and nothing more.

"I see you finally arrived on time. Making some progress I hope?" she began with mock smirk on her lips, as he simply looked out the window ignoring her reflection. "You can't ignore me forever."

He can certainly try.

"Geez, aren't you too old to be acting like a kid?" she frowned.

No. Complaining and throwing a tantrum is acting like a kid. Simply ignoring someone and going on about your business is being an adult.

"Hey! Are you listening to me!?" she furiously shouted earning stares and whispers from other students.

Kohta was sweating bullets as he prayed for his friend's safety against the pink haired girl's furry.

"Stop ignoring me, you dead faced son of a…!" Before anymore could be said, the bell had rung and Saya reluctantly had to stop mid-sentence as everyone sat in their assigned seats while the teacher came in. Growling in irritation, she looked at him. "This isn't over."

And with that, she walks over to her desk.

He needs to ditch her.

* * *

Stepping out of a coffee shop is a man around the age of twenty five years old, with messy brown hair that slightly spikes somewhat, and has green eyes. He is rather attractive to most people, especially to the women however he never takes notice and continues on about his business. His attire consisted of a navy blue shirt, black pants, and white lab coat. This is Susumu Akira.

Akira is a scientist who works for Smart Brain. He was hired by one of their higher ups after years of studying underneath one of their finest institutions. For most of his life, he was always interested in science and loved the subject with a passion. In short, it was literally his whole life and would die for it. Some people may call him weird because of it, but he never really cared. And to make things clear, he does have friends and does know about other stuff aside from science, though he will explain most things using his knowledge and whatever logic has to offer.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Akira noticed he was drawing near his work location which is a Smart Brain laboratory building. There was roughly about four or five of these buildings stationed here in Tokonosu. And the main building is somewhere far from where he is right now. Nonetheless, he was happy to work in one of their labs. Also, he is one of the head scientists in charge of his own team and everything. It was certainly a dream come true for him.

Truly, he loves his occupation.

"Yo, Akira…!" a familiar cheery, jovial voice called out to him.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he turns to face another scientist who also works in the same department. This person was an older man around the age of forty. He has black hair that was slicked back tied in a ponytail and has brown eyes. He wore a white lab coat as well with a brown shirt underneath, a pair of jean, and brown boots. This is Yamamoto.

"Good morning, Sensei." greeted Akira.

"Eh?" Yamamoto frowned. "You're still calling me 'Sensei' even after you graduated from my class? Come on Akira, you don't have to call me your teacher every time we see each other. I mean, we're somewhere on the same level in terms of work. But more importantly, we're fellow men! Don't you agree, Akira!?"

As the man had made his complaint/speech, he saw that his former student had suddenly gone out of sight until he saw him swipe his card onto the machine before entering the building.

"Gah!" the man comically yelped before running after him. After entering in with his own card, he miraculously caught up with his former student, who was ever so close of getting away from him. "Hey! Did you even listen to a single word I said!?"

"Not really." That was lie. He just didn't want to indulge the older man any further.

At this point, Yamamoto dropped on all fours with a sad aura around him. He muttered something about "What did I ever do to raise my student to be like this?" or "Did I not give him enough love and attention…?" Those kinds of comments creeps him out…a lot.

It was disturbing to see a grown man acting like this. Especially if he was one of the most important figures to the company's science departments.

" _I better get to work."_ thought Akira, entering his laboratory sector.

* * *

 **(Fujimi Academy)**

The fourth bell had rung meaning it was time for lunch. Seeing as that he didn't have very many things on his desk, save for a notebook and pen, Ren put those two objects inside his bag and was about to get up from his seat until someone approached him.

"Hey, Ren." the boy looks to see who had approach and called to him. He was greeted by the sight of four other students, three boys and one girl to be accurate.

The first guy has black spiky hair and brown eyes. His appearance was that of a rebel, or at least one of those types of those students anyone would see at times. This is Takashi Komuro.

The female student, even though she didn't look it, is a year older than the bunch, though it wasn't anything to ponder over. She has long brown hair with two strands that stick like antennas and brown eyes. This is Rei Miyamoto.

The third guy has gray hair and matching eyes. This is Hisashi Igou.

And the last guy has short blond hair and green eyes. This is Morita.

Like Saya, he also knows these people from middle school as well. But unlike the pink haired girl, their company is tolerable and they don't try to blow his eardrums off.

Ren merely looked at them.

"What? You're not going to greet us?" questioned Moirta.

"Yeah, come on, aren't you happy to see us?" Rei asked with a smile.

"I see you here every day." he simply replied making them sigh.

"Still, it is important to show that you're happy to see friends who are greeting you, and are going to ask you to have lunch with them." Hisashi smirked.

Ren nodded at the offer.

As they were leaving, he stopped to look for Kohta to see if he wanted to join them. And for curiosity's sake, he even bothered to look for Saya only to see that she wasn't present in the room as well. Dismissing his thoughts, he figured he would see Kohta later and continued to follow his other friends.

"Why'd you stop?" Takashi asked.

"No reason." answered Ren, catching up to them.

* * *

They stepped inside the cafeteria, picked up their trays, and grabbed their lunches as they were now trying to find a place to sit.

"It sure is crowded." Takashi noted.

"Sure is." nodded Hisashi.

"I bet we'll find something." Rei assured.

Morita sighed before looking at a table and then his eyes became hearts for some reason.

"Guys look…!" he said, catching their attention while pointing at a table with a certain pink haired girl sitting by herself. "It's Takagi!"

Again, the mystery of a guy liking Saya Takagi greatly confuses him once more. Just like with Kohta, this guy also harbors something for the girl even though he likes checking out other female students more. Not that it really matters to him, this is just one of those things he's curious about figuring it out.

"Oh, you're right!" smiled Takashi. "Maybe Takagi will let us join her."

"There is room, and I'm sure she won't mind." Rei smiled.

"I'm going in!" Morita rushed over to the table.

Takashi sighed knowing he was going to try to ask her out again. He, too, knows about his crush on her, which is something that isn't kept secret. While it was admirable that he freely expresses it, however being rejected for the umpteenth time is not. So he and his friends quietly followed to watch the rejection unfold again.

"Takagi-san!" began Morita as the girl looked at him with annoyance. "Will you please go out with me?"

"Get lost!" she harshly told him, making the blonde go on all fours with a depressing aura. Saya then looks to see everyone else besides her. "What are you guys doing over here?"

"We were wondering if we could sit with you. There is a lot of space after all." Hisashi said.

"Sure, whatever." she offhandedly said as they took their seats on the opposite side. However she did stop a certain someone from taking his seat. "Ren, you're sitting over here next to me."

Ren blankly stared at her before complying.

"What!?" exclaimed Morita. "That's so unfair! Why does Ren get to sit next to Takagi-san? This is cruelty…!"

"Can it, will you!?" Saya yelled at him.

Unsightly as it was, and not to mention very sad, Morita complied with her order and did what he was told. Ren almost feels bad for the poor sap. Key Word: Almost.

"Come on, man. You can sit beside me." Takashi said trying to comfort his friend somewhat. The blonde did so, and Takashi gave him sympathetic smile before silence only filled around them.

"So, uh…does anybody have a topic to discuss?" Rei asked. "We can't just sit here in silence as we eat, you know?"

"I've got nothing." Takashi said.

"Me neither." Hisashi said.

"Same here." spoke Morita.

Ren and Saya remained quiet as they just ate their food not wanting to contribute much.

"You two sure are quiet." Takashi pointed out.

"That's because I have nothing to discuss. Even if I did, I wouldn't say so anyway. And as for him, on the other hand…" she glanced at the boy sitting next to her, who simply continued to eat in silence. "Well, I don't know what to say. He never has anything to say much."

"Oh, Rei…!" began Takashi, smiling at the girl as he had gotten an idea for a topic. "How about you tell us what your dad is working on."

"Oh right, your dad is a police officer, isn't he?" Hisashi recalled.

"I'm down for that topic." Morita grinned.

"Well, it would be something interesting I guess…" Saya remarked.

"I don't know. I'm not supposed to talk about that stuff with other people around. And most of the time, my dad never discusses his cases with my mother and me…sometimes." Rei told them.

"If it's sometimes, then you at least have to know some minor details." stated Saya. "Heck, even it's something we all heard in the news it still beats than sitting here in silence."

"I suppose you're right." she said. "Well, he is trying to figure out why there's always sand in some recent crime scenes lately."

Unknowingly to all of them, Ren shifted his gaze at her as he decided to listen.

"Sand?" blinked Takashi.

"So…? Murders are taking place in the beach or something?" Morita questioned.

"No. My dad and some others in the police department have been investigating a series of murders, along missing person's cases, however they always find sand at the scene of every crime. And sometimes they don't." she explained.

"I think I may have heard about something that like that before." spoke Saya. "There have been reports lately on the news about those possible murders, or missing person cases. They also mention sand, too."

"Yeah, but here's this: Some people, the ones who have either called the police or reported those things, have claimed to have seen monsters."

"That's gotta be a joke, right?" chuckled Morita.

"Obviously, both the police and media don't believe the people who have made those claims."

"And of course, they would never say that in the news." Hisashi said.

"It's been such a mystery that my dad is starting to think he should give up on the whole case. There haven't been any suspects or anything…It's really strange."

"How about the sand…? I'm sure forensic scientists must have found something about it." Saya said.

"Unfortunately, they're just disregarding it as ordinary sand."

"Then perhaps they're not doing their job correctly."

"What's that mean?" asked Takashi.

"Think about it. I'm sure that's the first thing the police did when they first found the sand, and never considered to run some tests on it." the pink haired girl looks at Rei. "Isn't that about right?"

"That was actually something my dad admitted about to my mom." she said. "Well, anyway, I hear that Smart Brain is planning to release some new gadgets soon."

"You mean that famous tech company that always invents new technology, and does a lot of research in every field of science?" asked Hisashi.

"Precisely." nodded Saya. "To be honest, I kind of admired their work and studies. My father actually tried to set up a meeting with the company's boss in order to create a partnership. Though it was to increase his power in the political field…"

"Was?" blinked Takashi.

"Yeah, he stopped trying to become associated with them a long time ago. I don't know why exactly, since I was only a kid back then."

"Oh, I see."

"Hey, Ren, what are your thoughts about this?" Hisashi asked, looking at an empty seat that caught everyone by surprise.

"What the…?" Takashi got out.

"Where'd he go? Wasn't he just here…?" Morita questioned, looking for their friend.

"Oh, there he is…" Rei pointed a finger at him walking out the cafeteria door.

"And he left. Great." grumbled Saya, crossing her arms.

"I wonder what goes through his head?" wondered Hisashi.

"Who knows? That guy is totally hard to understand." Morita sighed.

Before they knew it, the bell had rung and everyone started to get out of their seats, throwing away all of their garbage then headed back to classes again.

* * *

 **(Smart Brain Laboratory Facility)**

Akira was on his desk typing a report about one of his research studies, and was hoping to turn it in by the end of this month or so. The project he was working on was fairly long, from maybe about two or three months at best. It was certainly one that needed his attention. So for the last five weeks, he's been concentrating all of his time and attention on this task alone. Of course, he does have his co-workers to help him out, and even his old teacher too.

Speaking of which, Yamamoto may seem like a laid back kind of guy who doesn't want to do anything, but in reality he is a reliable individual and one who you can place your trust in. Although, sometimes…he wishes the man would take his position as the company's top scientist seriously at times. Oh well, he is (somewhat) a grown man after all, so there shouldn't be a need to worry. Plus, he can do what he wants anyway.

Deciding to stop thinking about his old teacher's cheery personality, he got back to work and started typing a little bit faster. He was slowly forgetting about his topic, but thankfully remembered it at the last second. While doing his work, footsteps were slowly making their way towards him which caused him to stop what he was doing. Looking to see who had wanted to speak with him, it was man wearing a gray suit carrying a suit case in hand.

"Yes? May I help you?" he began.

"Please come with me for moment, Mr. Akira." the man said, walking over towards somewhere else.

Akira complied with the request as he followed the man after getting out of his seat.

"This room should do nicely." the man said, opening the door to an empty office. He stepped to the side to let Akira enter first.

"Uh, thank you…" Akira said then walked inside the office.

The man silently closed the door and then locked it before looking at the scientist, who stared at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted your work, Mr. Akira. But there was some important matters going on, and it was requested that _you_ were the person to go to." the man began.

"You must be one of the higher ups from the main building of Smart Brain. And you being dressed like that; must mean you're either one of the CEOs or an agent, correct?" Akira said, knowingly.

"Correct." he nodded.

"Well then, sorry for that brief delay. I just wanted to confirm my suspicions." Akira said before continuing. "Anyway, what important matters did you want to see me about? And who requested you to do so…?"

"It was the Board of Directors." he began. "We had a meeting about this matter, so it came to the conclusion that you would be taking on this task. To further compensate this, the Chief himself had also recommended you for this job."

"The Chief?" blinked Akira, surprised that someone like him would recommend him of all people to whatever it is he was about to do. Speaking of which… "Hold on, just what _is_ this important task anyway? Also, I already have an assignment that I'm working on."

"I'm well aware." he replied. "It was discussed that you would turn in whatever you have done before moving on to this assignment, which I will get to in a moment. First, I just need to know when you will turn in your report."

"I was thinking by sometime next week."

"Alright, I shall let them know you will turn in your report by the end of the month." Writing it down on his notepad, he flipped to another page then wrote something else before handing it over to him. "It's my number. Just give me a call when you're ready to turn in that report. Also, it's to update me progress of the new task you'll be working on."

"I see." replied Akira. "And this new task is…?"

"This." Putting the briefcase on the table, he opened it only to reveal a belt with a camera and walkie-talkie inside.

"A belt…?" the scientist blinked.

"Not just any ordinary belt, it's a new special gadget that our Board and even the Chairman of Smart Brain himself are having trouble with." he told him.

"What's wrong with it?" asked Akira, examining the belt.

"It seems to have some technical issues, and it's powered by photon energy." This caught his interest.

"Photon energy, you say…" Rubbing a hand underneath his chin, Akira was about to grab the belt before stopping himself as he looks at the man. "May I?"

"By all means." he allowed.

Taking the belt in his hands, he examined it even further and tried to study it through sheer observation alone. In fact, he was determining what kind of metal it was made from. Nodding to himself, he gently places it back inside the case.

"Alright, I think I may know what I'm working with here." Akira said.

"That's good to hear. So by the end of this month, you'll turn in a report of your current assignment and then move onto improving this belt."

"Yes." replied Akira.

* * *

 **(Dorm Room)**

Returning back to his dorm room after school ended, Ren took everything out of his backpack before taking a hold of his laptop and set it on his desk. Then, going through his closest he took out a few devices that obviously seem to be meant for his computer, due to all of the wiring plugs. After plugging said devices, he turned his laptop on before getting onto some newspaper articles while hacking into the police department's systems, to search for more information about the case that the others were taking about earlier.

Scrolling through the pages, Ren was quickly reading them one after another before moving on. He started to type in something else as another page popped up. It was document files that he keeps under a lock and key, which in this case, a special coding password that only he would know. Of course, with these latest gadgets hooked up onto his computer, being watched, traced, and getting hacked by another, should they somehow happen to notice what he was doing, is all but preventable.

Moving the mouse to one of the labeled documents, he clicked it as another page began to open. Like most of the documents he kept, this was one was only a few months old, but he had a feeling that some new updates are going to be made soon. And right on cue, there was an update on this file. Skimming through the new information, he took time to commit all to memory before closing it. Shortly after, he closed down everything before turning off his laptop.

Getting out of his chair, he walks over to his bed and sat down before looking through his window to see the sun set. It was almost that time again, meaning he'll be out for a while doing some business, the kind that no one would ever expected from someone like him. Sighing, he laid down on the mat and closed his eyes for a bit to get a quick power nap.

* * *

Nightfall had come sooner than he expected. It was already dark outside as the city's lampposts were turning on, along with many other lights that came from various places and buildings. The stars above are starting to come into sight as well. Truly, the night has never looked the same.

Ren wore black clothing that consists of a shirt, hooded coat, gloves, boots, and cargo pants.

He looks down at his backpack before pulling out the belt and straps it around his waist. Afterwards, he dug inside his pocket then pulled out his cell phone. Flipping it open, he dialed the numbers 5-8-2-1 then pressed Enter.

" **AUTO VAJIN COME CLOSER!"**

After the phone had made its announcement, he begins to go outside again before locking the door, and then looks down the street only to see a motorcycle approaching him. Oddly enough, the motorcycle didn't have anybody riding on it, which would mean it was being remotely controlled or that it has an autopilot system. It would have to be remotely seeing as he summoned it with his phone.

When the motorcycle stopped in front of him, he grabs the helmet then puts it on before mounting the vehicle. He starts the engine before riding off into the city streets.

* * *

The streets of Tokonosu, which is what this city is called, were oddly silent considering how many people were out, since the night times are meant to be for adults to go into bars, clubs, etc. In short, it was just a time for them to relieve some stress about their work day and hang out with friends. Of course that's only for those who have yet to be married, will never get married, and don't have any children out of a one nightstand or wedlock. Hey, these things are mainly true depending on how some people act, given the situation. It's just a simple statement.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand, it was rather quiet despite how many people were out. Well, that most likely has to do with one person walking somewhere secluded, say a quiet neighborhood with hardly little people out.

This person was a business woman who simply wanted to get back home to her family after working for today. It was tiresome for her, especially now because of the overtime she had to do. Hopefully, she can just relax in her room and watch a few shows before turning in for the night.

Letting out a tiresome sigh, the woman decides to stop thinking and focuses on getting back home. When she looks up head there was someone walking out of the corner, slowly making their way towards her. At first, she thought to believe that this person may be a thief or a possible killer.

Thankfully, after observing the way he was walking, it was clear that this individual may possibly be either drunk or maybe has a problem with his leg. But since he was limping, it would have to be the latter in this case. When she was about to go about her business again, the man suddenly collapses onto the ground making her gasp.

"Sir?" she begins as he gave no reply. Worried, she quickly rushes over to him and kneels on a knee before gently grabbing him by the shoulders. Now looking at him from up close, she was surprised to see that he is badly injured. "Oh no, you're hurt! I'll call for help…!"

The injured man grabbed her hand with what little strength he had left. Blinking, she looks at him with concernment on his features. "R-Run…!" he warned before suddenly combusting into blue flames then disintegrated into ashes.

Immediately backing away from the man who is now ashes, the woman gasped then let out a scream of shocking fear while subconsciously trying to process what she had just seen. To her, it was literally impossible for someone to suddenly combust into flames not unless they had some kind of chemical on them or something. However, since she wasn't a scientist or had any form of knowledge about that sort of stuff, it was a complete mystery to her.

"Aw, he's already dead." a voice spoke making her look to see something more shocking than a man suddenly combusting into odd blue flames, then reduced into ash.

Standing across from her was a grayish humanoid monster that resembled a walrus with two of its teeth sticking out, razor sharp. They're probably more than sharp enough to rip through a whole person to shreds. Other than that, the arms seemed muscular showing well toned muscles, and its body seemed to be the same as well.

"Guess I must've roughed him up too much. What a shame." the creature sighed. It then took notice of the woman who stared at him. "Oh? It seems my luck has turned around, I have another victim...!"

With fear taking over, the woman could hardly move as the creature slowly proceeds towards her. Although it couldn't be shown, she could tell that it was grinning and felt it too. Heck, it even chuckled while it was making its way towards her, ready to rip her apart the very moment his hands touch her.

"Don't worry, lady. I'll make sure to hold back some…If I can…" he grinned before they heard the engine of a motorcycle coming their way. "Huh?" It turns its head to look at the rider driving towards him. Said rider pulls out a weapon that resembles a gun, and shoots him with it. Instead of bullets, the shots were yellow energy blasts that did real damage to the creature, causing it to cry in pain.

The biker, or rather Ren, rode towards the Walrus creature then spun his vehicle around, hitting it with the rear end making it fly a few inches off the ground before hitting the concrete.

Dismounting his motorcycle, he looks at the woman who seemed to have snapped out of it

"Leave." he told her.

Not needing to be told twice, she ran away leaving them alone.

"That hurt like hell!" the Walrus creature growled, glaring at the teen. "Who the hell are you? And how were you able to hurt me like that…!? There isn't a weapon in existence that can harm me!"

Instead of answering he merely stared at the creature with his usual blank expression. Taking off his helmet while reaching for the hood, he managed to cover his face then places the helmet on the motorcycle's seat.

"There are people sleeping in this neighborhood. You should speak with your indoor voice." suggested Ren, lifting a finger over his lips.

"What a load of…!" A fist was then slammed into his face that made him flying back a little. "Damn! What the hell?"

"I said to speak with your indoor voice. You were being too loud again." he stated before appearing in front of his opponent, kneeing him in the stomach.

"Nice try!" the Walrus creature grinned. Raising his arm with the attempts to strike him down, Ren leaps back before anything could happen. _"Damn, isn't he a slippery one."_

"I'll make this quick. I don't want to be around you any longer." Ren pulled his phone out, then dialed the number 5-5-5 and pressed Enter.

" **STANDING BY!"**

"Henshin!"

He inserted the phone into the belt's slot.

" **COMPLETE!"**

A red light began to radiate from the belt as neon lines enveloped his body. When the light faded an armored figure stood in his place.

He was clad in a black bodysuit with red photon lines on it, wore silver chest armor made out of Sol Metal, shoulder pads with bits of silver on them, and has metal fingertips. On his right ankle, he was equipped with and Energy Holster. His helmet was mainly black with a silver mouthpiece, yellow eyes with a green jewel between.

This is Faiz!

"What the!?" gaped the Walrus creature. "Just who the hell are you…?"

Faiz slowly walks over to him not giving a reply.

"Whatever! I don't care!" he exclaimed before lunging at him. Faiz simply steps to the side and pushes him forward, then takes the phone out before forming it into a gun again. Pulling the trigger, he shoots him several times before halting his assault. "Damn you!"

Then a hand shot down, covered his mouth, and picked him up with an impressive amount of strength as the Walrus creature tried to break free from his grasp. Unexpectedly, Faiz shot his hand through the Walrus creature's stomach, causing him to let out muffled screams of agony. Slowly reeling his hand out of his opponent's stomach, he places a finger over his mouthpiece.

"Now look what you made me do. This is all because you refused to use your indoor voice, like I asked. So now, covering your mouth is the only way to respect the people inside their homes. Also, it would be a shame if one, or all of them, came out to see something unsightly such as us…wouldn't it?" he said.

Dropping him onto the ground, the Walrus creature tried to speak but couldn't due to his sever wound. "F-F-Fuck…y-you…!" was all he could get out.

"Obviously, you'll die a slow and painful death from that wound. But I suppose the blood loss will spare you from that. Even an Orphnoch, like you, won't survive much longer. Though given how durable your body is, you might hold out for an hour. Two if you're lucky." explained Faiz.

The Walrus Orphnoch coughed blood.

"If it's all the same to you, I'm going to do what I said and make this quick. Waiting for you to die will accomplish nothing. So this is where we part ways." Faiz said before going back into a silent streak.

Lightly tossing the Walrus Orphnoch onto the ground, Faiz grabbed the camera dubbed as Faiz Shot, from the right side of his belt, gripped the handle that came down as it was now a knuckle. Sliding the Mission Memory out of the phone, he inserts it over the camera lens.

" **READY!"**

Flipping the phone open, he presses Enter then closes it.

" **EXCEED CHARGE!"**

Punching downwards, the Walrus Orphnoch exploded into blue flames.

The phi symbol appeared as he combusted in said flames and disintegrated into ashes.

Taking the phone out of his buckle, he flips it open then presses the End Call button canceling the transformation.

Ren then simply walks back to his motorcycle. As he was about to mount on his bike, he briefly looks at ashes of the man who died earlier, along with the Orphnoch he defeated. Knowing it would be too much of a risk to wait for the wind to blow them away, so he decided to scatter them himself.

To others, if they knew these piles of ashes were actually people, no doubt they would find what he is doing wrong. And he would agree with that. What he's doing, right now, is wrong. But this is something that he must do.

Afterwards, he mounted onto his bike and put his helmet on before taking off into the streets.

* * *

 **(Smart Brain Laboratory Facility)**

"That should be it for today." Akira said as he finished work.

Letting out a tiresome sigh, the scientist begins to gather all of his paperwork to take home with him. Even though the day was over, he figured he could look over a few more things while in the comforts of his own home. It would be ideal to look over them tomorrow in the morning, as it would get his brain flowing.

Akira was about to reach for his bag as he momentarily stopped before looking at the briefcase, which he had placed on his desk next to said bag. For approximately ten seconds, he stares at the briefcase then decides to take it back home with him.

" _Might as well take it with me…"_ he thought before taking it as he leaves.

* * *

 **Hope you guys liked this version better than my old one. This time I plan to focus on the characters, just so they could be shown more and possibly have some early development while progressing with the overall plot in the story. So with that, I'll see y'all later.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Kamen Rider Faiz and Highschool of the Dead. I'm only doing this for the heck of it and to have some fun. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 2: Setup!**

Akira is making breakfast in the kitchen as he looked over a cook book that he bought not too long ago. Obviously, he lives alone and therefore has to do his own cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc. However, being a man who loves his job and enjoys a peaceful life, things like that is actually quite relaxing. It just means you're living with no worries, save for being late for work and getting something done, which is basically common stuff. And that's just how he likes it.

Adding the finishing touches to his sandwich, Akira set his plate down on the table where his papers and laptop are at. He quickly pulled out some juice from the fridge, poured some into his cup, put it back, and closed the fridge before sitting on his chair. Quietly eating while looking through some stuff online, he glanced at the briefcase sitting on his coffee table.

Ever since he came home last night, he practically just set it down there and forgot about it throughout the night. After all, he did have other work to attend to. Not to mention this gadget wasn't his concern yet, until he turns in his report for his other project. Also, he would need to get his eight hours of sleep.

He sighed before concentrating on his other stuff.

* * *

 **(Dorm Room)**

Ren is currently sitting at his desk looking through information online from both the media and police on their private files. To be more precise, he is hacking files of every member from both parties. Of course, those with high ranking positions are important, seeing as they carry valuable information than anyone else. However, people beneath them seem to have something that is just as valuable, maybe even more. You can never overlook those from below, no matter what.

In any case, Ren searched for information regarding to last night's run in with that Orphnoch. Although he may have defeated it, that doesn't change the fact most of the noise from their fight alarmed people. To gain more information, he also had the TV on hoping the briefest information on the news could be of any help.

' _On breaking news, reports of an explosion were heard late last night at the local neighborhood. Many people called police, and by the time officers got there to do their investigation, nothing turned up save for some soot-which is the aftermath of said explosion. However, some people have commented about seeing a red light that happened right before the explosion occurred.'_

Upon hearing this, Ren merely sighed knowing he should have ended the fight sooner. Sure, he disposed of any evidence that would lead to the existence of both Orphnoch and himself. But it doesn't change the fact that he caused a ruckus on such a quiet, peaceful neighborhood.

…This is something he should feel ashamed of.

Oh well…nothing he can do about it now.

* * *

Patiently waiting for the bus, Ren quietly flipped through a note book that keeps records of his past actions, research, etc. Everything is written in a mixture of Morse code, Braille, and Binary code. It was so no one could read it, with the addition of making it hard to decipher every alphabet one by one.

With this safety precaution, he can keep his activities secret. Plus, the only one who would be able to actually decipher his code are those from Smart Brain, along with those who have exceptionally high IQs, like that pink haired harridan…Just thinking about her will gives him a headache. Not to mention bad for his health. In any case, it'll take someone of that caliber less than an hour or two to decode.

Additionally, before he ever wrote inside the note book, he painted the edges of the pages with oily paint. Of course, he made it barely noticeable that most people would overlook without having to draw attention. As you could guess, the paint is highly flammable. So if someone happens to steal this notebook for any reason, he is prepared for everything written inside to go into flames. Besides, most of the information is in his head. Therefore, it wouldn't matter either way.

As he flipped through all the pages, reading the information he had taken down, something caught his eye. A timeline diagram…Ren had created several to keep track of his actions; everything from his daily life at school, hanging out with Kohta, and including his time as Faiz.

He looked through his very first timeline diagram that dates back to three years ago. It was the first time he decided to go out hunting for Orphnoch, and do several investigations relating to them...

* * *

 **(Three Years Ago)**

 _A meeting was taking place in the underpass, where two men in suits were discussing business with a dealer who apparently had something they requested…_

" _We thank you for retrieving the item. Now, as promised, we shall give you your payment." said one of the men, gesturing for his colleague to walk over to them and present a suitcase that was obviously filled with money._

" _Whoa, hold on a second there…" the dealer said, making them look at him with slight annoyance. "Listen, but uh…you people have no idea what kind of shit I had to deal with getting this thing for you, alright? So I would very much appreciate it if you gave me a little interest…You know, for nearly risking my life and almost getting in trouble with my supplier."_

" _We thought you to be a man of your word, for a good price…" another one spoke, obviously not happy with this minor change. "Originally, we had a deal that 20 grand would be enough for you to do the job."_

" _Yeah, well…I want more now. So how about we make it a million? You pay me, I give you this, and we all walk out of here…" the dealer stood his ground, although it would only lead to his death._

" _I'm afraid we have no time for this. And to be frank…" the man quickly pointed out his index finger, which extended towards the dealer's chest, piercing through it like a knife. "…we're on a tight schedule."_

 _Once his finger reeled back into place, the dealer soon collapsed as he turned into carbon._

 _The second man sighed as he dug through the carbon. Feeling something inside, he grabbed it and pulled out a bottle that contained a red liquid inside._

" _Tell me again why we had to hire some dealer to get this, and not one of our own guys? We're obviously more than capable enough to have gotten it ourselves…Moreover, as Smart Brain agents, we shouldn't have any trouble." he said._

"… _How could you not know?" the first man shook his head. "One of our networks has been hacked, and there's rumor going around that someone within the midst of Smart Brain is betraying the company."_

" _In short, there's a traitor among the company wanting to expose our identities…"_

" _And as loyal agents to Murakami, we've been assigned to make the deal." the first man concluded._

" _Alright, let's get out of here before someone comes along. But first, let's get rid of these remains."_

 _When they were about to walk out of the underpass, a figure came out of the shadows. Both men stopped as they observed the newcomer. He was male and mainly dressed in black, with a hood over his head. The only visible parts about him were his yellowish gray eyes that have red hues, and locks of black hair that seem to have streaks of silver, which made it easier to determine it as hair. Obviously, judging from his body size, he at least had to be a middle school student._

 _Of course, it was none other than Ren at fourteen years old._

 _He overheard the conversation and is planning to take the vile. Both hands were already in his pockets, and the Faiz Phone is inside the left pocket._

" _If you plan to mug us, you'll be making a grave mistake." spoke the first man._

 _Ren saw no point in speaking with them. It would just be a waste of their time, so he's going to dispose of them. Thankfully, they were in a secluded area, which means they won't have any interruptions. Pushing a button on the phone, a motorcycle engine could be heard coming from the underpass as it came over to them on the opposite direction._

 _They saw it had no driver, which had them alarmed before hearing a familiar word…_

" _ **BATTLE MODE!"**_

 _Just like that, the motorcycle transformed into a humanoid mecha that was equipped with a shield, which is actually the front wheel._

" _It can't be…!" they turned to face Ren, who already had the belt around his waist and finished dialing the transformation code._

" _ **STANDING BY!"**_

" _Henshin."_

" _ **COMPLETE!"**_

" _Faiz!?" they exclaimed._

 _Auto Vajin, the humanoid robot's name, began shooting at them. Unfortunately, one of the men was repeatedly shot before they could transform into their Orphnoch form. However, as for the other, he managed to quickly transform into a Panther Orphnoch and evaded the blast. The Panther Orphnoch immediately grabbed the vile and hauled out of the area._

 _Faiz didn't have enough time to take out his phone and turn it into a gun._

 _He simply walked away from the area._

* * *

 **(Present)**

Ren did feel a little disappointed that his first night didn't go so well. Although, it was to be expected, since he was only fourteen at the time still trying to figure out the ropes. Sure, he trained both physically and mentally, though it didn't change the fact that he was still inexperienced. Thankfully he was a fast learner and managed to do better every time he went out.

His thoughts were interrupted when the bus came. Deciding to burry past events into the back of his head, he got on, paid for his ticket, and took his seat.

* * *

 **(Fujimi Academy)**

In the gymnasium, the kendo club was practicing for their upcoming tournament next month and is taking advantage of whatever free time they have together as a team. Occasionally, they would meet up from time to time after school and on the weekends to train. However it was only a requirement that they needed to follow, since their coach is calling the shots. But even so, everyone is friends with one another, so they would always hook up and goof around the city somewhere or whatever.

Among the members is a purple haired girl with blue eyes, as she repeatedly swung her practice sword. This is the kendo team's captain and third year student, Saeko Busujima.

If her position wasn't enough, she is considered to be one of the best and brightest kendo practitioner that has ever made captain several times, won many awards, medals, and trophies for every tournament she competed in. Not to mention that she comes from a long line of swordsman, so her own lineage plays a role as well.

As she kept practicing, something caught her eye from up the balcony seats. She saw a stoic looking boy with spiky black hair that odd has streaks of silver, simply sitting while doing something on his laptop. She also noticed a note book by his side along with a pen, so he obviously had to be taking notes on something too.

Saeko has always seen him in here, though she never found it to be a problem, since people will come in here from time to time whenever they practice. However, that's only because she is somewhat of a celebrity due to her accomplishments and looks. Especially her looks…

Most boys here and from her old middle school have always had a crush on her, and have tried to ask her our numerous times. Of course, she would always reject them not wanting to be in a relationship and simply focus on herself. And additionally, it is mainly because she would like to find someone who would want to get to know her first instead of just having a crush, skipping the friendship stage into a relationship one. The latter is obviously the problem.

Therefore, this would result in some admires coming to watch her, just for the sake of watching her. Of course, thankfully, not everyone is like that so it can be easily overlooked from time. But this guy, he never comes in to watch her or anyone from her team simply because he admires them or anything. In fact, he just does his own business and never once bothered them.

Whenever she would see him, Saeko would instantly notice his blank demeanor. He never gives any kind of facial expression that explains how he feels. And you can never guess what he's thinking. To be honest, it was both interesting and frightening in its own right.

"Oh man…There he is again." spoke one of her teammates.

"You know, I'm glad he doesn't interrupt us or anything, but it's just creepy how he sits there doing nothing but write in that note book of his and whatever…" another girl said.

"Who is he?" asked Saeko.

"Huh?" her teammates blinked. "You honestly don't know who he is, even though you've seen him in here before…?"

"Well, I'm always focused on training, so I just never took notice. Plus, he never causes us any trouble, which gives more reason not to be worried or do anything." Saeko explained.

"Guess that makes sense." nodded another girl. "Anyway, his name is Ren Fukai; he's actually one of the smartest people in school alongside Takagi or perhaps even more. So he always has good grades. Not to mention he is kinda good looking, but he's really hard to understand."

"Yeah, you can never tell what he's thinking really. I mean, he never smiles, laughs, gets angry, or anything. It's just plain weird how someone could be like that all the time. Also, rumor has it that him and Takagi are in some kind of fierce rivalry for number one in their class." added another.

"And you mostly see him by himself, too. Sometimes he hangs out with this cubby guy with glasses, or getting yelled at by Takagi."

"I see." spoke Saeko, looking up at him. "He certainly has a beautiful name."

* * *

 **(Smart Brain)**

Inside the office of Smart Brain's president, Kyoji Murakami, a man in his mid to late thirties with brown eyes and black hair sat in his chair simply waiting for a report to come in.

Soon the doors opened and one of his agents came in. He carried a file in his hand, which must contain the report he's been waiting for.

"Good evening, sir." the agent respectfully bowed, then placed the file on his desk. "Here is your report."

"Thank you." he said, taking the file in his hand and flipped it open. As he skimmed through it, he snickered a bit. "Susumu Akira has accepted the task of handling the Delta Gear, that's great. Hopefully, with his advanced skills, we should be able to get quick results to resume one of our main projects."

"Yes. As instructed, I am currently letting him hold onto the Gear, so that he may work on it at home." the agent continued. "As you're already aware, Faiz has destroyed another Orphnoch last night. We picked up signal that someone contacted the police claiming to have seen a 'monster'. To confirm this, I went over to the neighborhood and found traces of carbon. Moreover, reports of an explosion were made. Obviously, the police came to investigate but found nothing."

"I see." Murakami nodded. "Yes, I understand the situation. Sigh…It's been nearly over a three years since Faiz appeared out of the blue. And ever since we learned of his existence, he's been more careful as to hiding his tracks and anything related to the Faiz Gear, or anything to his true identity."

"Yes."

"Anyway, thank you for the report. You may go now."

The agent respectfully bowed as he then left the room.

Murakami looked over the city view. Knowing someone is out there using the Faiz Gear, planning to defy him and his ideals will not sit well. So he'll have to orchestrate something that can draw Faiz out of the shadows. Or better yet…

* * *

 **(With Akira)**

Akira is enjoying lunch at a little ramen stand that he sometimes go to. This place had some really good ramen, and it was actually his old teacher that introduced him to it when he was still a student. Even though Yamamoto is a nonchalant man, he was always kind to those he taught and rewarded them for a good job. So he took them all to this place, where they would hang out and have lunch.

"Ah, I knew I'd find you here!"

…Speak of the devil.

"You were looking for me?" deadpanned Akira.

"Of course…! Word's going around that you got assigned to a special project by the higher ups." he said while taking a seat beside his old student. "Hey, I can get a number 5 special, please?"

"Coming right up!" announced the cook.

"So let me guess, you came to ask me what the project is…right?" Akira sighed.

"It's obvious that people came up to you today and asked. So I figured I'd join that band wagon as well. I've been hearing that you're just working on some plain project, though I want to hear it from you." he said before his food came. "Oh, that smells really good…!"

"It's nothing special, really. Some agent from the higher ups came to me, and wanted to know if I can work one gadget for them. The gadget itself is a belt that has a built in walkie-talkie and camera put together. When you do, it's actually shaped like a gun. To be honest, if I didn't see the individual pieces, I would have freaked out thinking I was working on an actual weapon." explained Akira.

"I see." the older man nodded. "I remember you saying that you'd rather avoid anything that was weapons related, since that wasn't your style. So you just stuck with the usual gimmicks and whatnot."

"If you remember from one of our classes, I wasn't particularly well known for having steady hands. And I would always need a handicap, albeit the aid of my fellow classmate and instruction manual." Akira remarked.

"But you did become proficient enough to pass the building class." he said. "Heck, it was always funny to see you struggle, get tangled up in some wires, and you even smashed one of your own fingers with one of the tools…!"

Akira twitched a brow from both his old teacher's laughter and the memories. Oh gosh, it was just awful to mentally relive those moments again. He remembers not being able to write for about a month, simply because his fingers were bandaged up. Moreover, he had to quickly learn how to become ambidextrous, just so he can keep taking notes and continue his other school work. Truly, he is thankful he does not have to go through that anymore.

"Anyway…" he desperately wanted to change the subject. "…the only odd thing about this device is that it's powered by photon energy, which seems pretty strange."

Then, Yamamoto stopped laughing once he heard this…

"Photon Energy, you say?" he questioned, curious.

"I don't really know too much about it, since I've barely started to work on the thing." Akira sighed before taking out his wallet, paying for the food with his money. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Sure, later." the older man offhandedly waved.

* * *

 **(With Ren)**

On the rooftop of Fujimi Academy, Ren quietly ate his lunch while gazing up at the sky. Whether it was clear or not, he always liked to stare at the endless blue. The clouds were always nice to watch, as he can make out many shapes or leave it to his imagination. Moreover, whenever he watches them go by, he can really himself move along with the earth despite not moving a single muscle. It was comforting.

Additionally, he would see birds flying as well. He doesn't know why, but there was just something about watching these creatures soar through the sky, that really draws his attention. Logically, he assumed it's a hidden desire within his psyche, for him someday wanting to fly. But of course, he would have to be either piloting a helicopter or airplane to do such a thing. Even so, it wouldn't change the face he wouldn't be able to feel the wind against him.

Knowing that his personal feelings are beginning to interrupt his thought process, Ren decided to brush it all away and place everything into the back of his mind. He needed to focus on important matters: Continuing to search Smart Brain.

Obviously, none of the employees from their lower divisions would carry any information, especially the human ones along with some Orphnoch as well. So his only option is, of course, to keep hacking every low ranking member and make his way through the higher ups, then perhaps find a secret entrance to find the hidden information.

And the reason why he cannot gain information from "the higher ups", is because they're simple a misdirection. So if he were to believe those "higher ups" are his true objective, then a trap would surely trigger. Despite his various skill set and arsenal of not being tracked or hacked himself, there is always that 1% chance of it happening either way. Regardless, though, it would have to be a chance he needs to take. Besides, he's not one to be arrogant, after all.

Soon his thoughts were interrupted when he heard his phone ring. He figured someone was calling him, but it turned out to be a notification instead. Rather, it was something the news had recently posted meaning they're announcing it right now at this moment.

* * *

 **(With Saya)**

Although she is one of the smartest people in the school, Saya Takagi is not very popular when it comes to her peers. Students with excellent grades are often praised or well liked by their classmates, thus making them admirable. For Saya, however, that isn't the case with her.

The reason for this is because of her attitude. Most people think of her as a bitch, know it all, stuck up, smartass, and other useless insults down the line. In short, this all stems due to Saya believing that she is always correct and never wrong. Regardless, though, she is not a bad person at heart.

In reality, Saya can be really nice (somewhat) when she needs to be, however she's actually the type to show and give tough love instead of sugar coating things. There are only a few people in her life who she extends this to, one of them being Ren and Takashi due to her history with them. However, with Takashi and Rei, she doesn't bother with them simply because they do their own thing or whatever. She is friends with them, of course, but just doesn't hang around them often.

Oddly enough, though, she finds herself being asked out by strange guys multiple times already. First, it was always that blonde haired guy or whatever his name is, and sometimes by Hirano too. There are other weird guys who try to ask her out, but she always rejects them without a second thought. Hell, the only one of them who she can bother to remember is Hirano, because they're in the same class together. Additionally, he seems to be getting the hint that she's not interested in him, though he obviously drops some hints here and there. Well, whatever.

In any case, she would rather be around that idiot Ren, because he's more interesting than other people. Sure his expressionless face pisses her off to no ends, although his slight "intelligence" makes up for it…probably. Overall, she likes being around him sometimes…

" _Ugh…! Why am I even thinking about him? He's not even here for crying out loud…"_ she thought herself before hearing a beeping noise from her tablet. Curious, Saya takes it out along with a keyboard pad, and sets it up into a mini laptop. She saw the notification and clicked it on it. _"Huh? What's this?"_

* * *

Another day has ended, so everyone has back home for the day. This, of course, is naturally Akira's cup of tea both figuratively and literally. He simply sat on the couch with his legs on the table, while reading a book that he's been meaning to catch up on. Right now, he was only on the fourth chapter and really wanted to get through at least two or three more before calling it a quits.

His door bell rang.

He raised a brow in confusion wondering who could be out the front door. There was nobody coming over and if there was, he wouldn't be dressed in a simple shirt and sweatpants, so he only has two guesses. One: It's someone who's planning to rob him. Two: Hopefully, it's someone that he actually knows and may need his help with something.

Okay, that latter guess is really farfetched and not to mention unrealistic, since one of his friends and colleagues could just call him on his phone. But…if they speak to him through the door and call out his name, then it's a relief that he won't resort to fighting someone. And if he does, well…the alarms in his house would set off before anything even happens. So either way, he's prepared.

"Hey, Akira…! It's me! Could open up the door, please?" Yamamoto's voice spoke from the other side.

This caused Akira to both sweat drop and sigh in relief.

He went to open the door for his former teacher as he was greeted with a wide smile.

" _Creepy."_ was the first thought Akira instantly thought. He then noticed Yamamoto carrying a duffle bag, which must contain his belongings. "What's with the bag?"

"Uh…you see, my place is being fumigated so…" the older began only for his former student to interject.

"Tell me…How does a scientist of Smart Brain, with a high position in the community, have fumigation problems in his own home?" Akira deadpanned, slowly closing the door.

"Ah, wait! Don't go closing the door on me! Come on, I just need a place to stay for a night or two…" Obviously, that gave Akira more reason to close the door. "You're really going to leave me, your mentor, out here in the cold where I can get killed and mugged? Didn't I teach you about compassion at all…?"

"Huh? What was that?" one of the neighbors questioned, making Akira sweat drop as he instantly brought his former teacher inside and shut the door.

"Whew! Thanks for lettin' me come inside…!" laughed Yamamoto.

"I only did it because the neighbors would have complained." Akira told him.

"You're so cold!" Yamamoto comically cried.

"Anyway, answer my question: Why is your house being fumigated?"

"Well, you see…I tried to cook some dinner and one thing led to another…" he trailed.

"It was your first time cooking, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Oh boy…Alright then, I have a spare room so you could stay in there."

"I knew I could count on you, Akira!" Yamamoto said before heading into the guest room. Soon, after settling in, he came out wearing t shirt and shorts. "So what are we doing?"

" _I_ was reading." replied Akira.

"Sounds boring…"

"Pack your things again."

"Okay, okay, okay…! I'm sorry to have insulted your home life!" he hastily said.

"Might as well converse." said Akira, placing a book mark on a page before setting his book to the side. "Anyway, now that you're here, there's been something I've been meaning to talk about."

"About what?" he questioned as Akira searched for something on his phone.

"This…" Akira handed the phone over to his former teacher.

"Hmm?" questioned Yamamoto, taking the phone out of Akira's hand before reading it. "Technician Company, Smart Brain, is holding an online series of five tests for a special tour of their laboratory facility." Yamamoto read aloud before looking at his former student. "Well, isn't that interesting? I can't remember the last time we ever did something like that…"

"Yeah, but…don't you find it odd? I mean…the company does have tours for school students and college students looking to apply to one of our own facilities. But to make something like this public, it's just doesn't seem like the Chief's MO." Akira logically said.

"And what makes you think Chief Murakami is doing this?" asked Yamamoto.

"Do you really need to ask that? Who else has the power and authority to orchestrate something like this? So it obviously has to be the chief, along with the director board…" said Akira. "And besides, these tests are basically entrance exams or better yet…the kind of test I took to get into a Smart Brain facility college. It just seems like this is a plot to find someone."

"Ah, you're probably just imagining things! There's no way the chief would do something as trivial as that! After all, the man has better things to do than find people with a rare and special talent. Like you said, the company's own entrance exams exist for that reason." Yamamoto waved off. "Anyway, let's see what the subjects are. Whoa! He isn't pulling any punches…!"

"Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Health, and Philosophical History with some of their subcategories." listed Akira. "The passing grade is overall simple. Just answer 100 questions, and try to get 90 out of 100."

"I think he's being a little risky announcing to give a public test to people, especially when other companies are gunning for the chance to spy on smart Brain's works." he gave the phone back.

"Still…" Akira was cut off when the older man interjected.

"Just don't think about it. Besides, see this as an opportunity to meet some interesting people, and finding a way to slack off for the day. In fact, I'm gonna see if I can be the official tour guide…!" Yamamoto laughed.

Akira sighed.

* * *

Ren was facing a dilemma.

Here he is standing across the street from the nearest Smart Brain laboratory facility, however he cannot decide whether to infiltrate it or not. On one end, he could get an early start and search for all the hidden rooms that people normally wouldn't see in a tour guide. Thus, if he were, he could hack their systems from the inside and get information.

Although….this is where the con lies…If he decides to infiltrate it right now, there is a chance, no, it's highly likely that someone will be expecting him to do this. And two things will happen. One: Aside from running into various traps, someone could be waiting for him inside and he would be outnumbered if more Orphnoch are inside. He is confident in his fighting abilities, but even so, going in there without a plan would be reckless. Secondly, if someone is expecting him, then the chances of bombs planted inside the building is very high. But if that were to happen, the enemy would destroy the Faiz Belt and phone. Therefore, they would lose something valuable.

Moreover, the third scenario is actually a combination of the two. In short, if he goes in there, someone will attempt to assassinate him. And thus…that person will take the belt, phone, and probably his other arsenals before either deciding to blow up his corpse or burry him somewhere.

It seems his option is clear now.

With this time to think, he came to the conclusion that it would be best to leave this place alone for now, and patiently wait for the day of the tour. Also, he should be thankful that he was dressed in his combat night attire, and is hiding in the shadows of an alley.

…Because there's someone watching him from a 10 meter distance.

* * *

" _So we were right. Someone is here observing the facility…"_ thought a Smart Brain agent, carrying a thermographic camera. Even in this darkness, he can still see the suspect that must be Faiz. But he cannot quite confirm this yet.

First, he has to somehow drive him into a corner and see if this person is truly Faiz or not. However, the fact that he is dressed in black clothing and carefully observing the laboratory facility defiantly raises the chances to 50%.

The answer is clear…he needs to drive him into an isolated area, and expose his identity. Whether this person is the target or not doesn't matter, since his orders are to eliminate anyone no matter what.

" _He's moving."_ thought the agent, following close behind him.

* * *

" _4 meters."_ thought Ren, walking through a crowded street. Even with his hood on, he had to use the collar of his jacket to cover his lower lip, jaw, and nose. His stalker, despite being 4 meters behind him, will see his face from a certain angle. Despite the risks, he needs to deal with the stalker.

" _Only 2 more meters for me to see his face. Judging from my angle right now, I should be able to see a glimpse of what he looks like through that hood."_ the agent thought, slowly closing the 2 meter gap. When he did he couldn't see his target's face, but he did make out black locks of hair. Still, regardless of this small detail, he needs more concrete facts about this person.

It was time for Ren to let his stalker know that he is on to him. As a signal, he gently pulled his hood down a few inches to make it seem like he's covering his face a bit more. Plus, he made a quick hand gesture that anyone hard noticed, save for his stalkers.

" _I knew it…!"_ the agents thought, feeling a cold sweat. Obviously, if his target is letting him know that he's onto him, then he's leading him into a trap. Well, to be honest, he was behind him the whole time and with his many people, therefore not getting the chance to that hidden signal himself. Or catch him alone to question/assassinate him. The percentage has just increased by 43…!

As he continued to follow Ren, the agent was making various plans in his head to apprehend him. Also, seeing how there are few people and the scent of sea water, they were going to the docks. Knowing he's been spotted, he can just hide in the shadows and hope for an opening to present itself. His target is obviously too smart to fall for a simple trick.

Regardless, he needs to obtain the belt.

" _We're here."_ they both thought.

As soon as they stopped, Ren slowly turns to face his stalker only to reveal him dialing the transformation code. Not to mention the belt was already around his waist, though it was hidden underneath his jacket in case something like this happened.

It paid off.

" **STANDING BY!"**

"Henshin."

" **COMPLETE!"**

At the same time, the agent transformed into a Taurus Orphnoch that is bulky and well protected with his armor. On the side of his waist, he was armed with two axes.

Faiz and the Taurus Orphnoch slowly circled around each other, carefully thinking about their first moves. They armed themselves with their respective weapons, although the Taurus Orphnoch threw one of its axes at Faiz but he easily avoided it, and was about to shoot his opponent until he noticed something odd.

It was something really thin and almost seemed transparent if one isn't paying close enough attention. No doubt about it. This had to be a thin piece of wire…

Before Faiz could have time to react, the other axe flew at him while the first one from before was reeling back towards him. He leaped into the air, quickly dialed 1-0-6, pushed Enter, and aimed at the Taurus Orphnoch.

" **BURST MODE!"**

Three rounds of photon energy were fired at Taurus Orphnoch. The attacks barely had any effect on his durable armor, though it did seem to leave a few soot marks on it. Even so, it would take a lot more to take this enemy down.

Faiz, still in the air, was now at a disadvantage point as the Taurus Orphnoch was taking advantage of his current situation. He brought both axes into the air where he rapidly moved his arms, making his weapons circle around Faiz, so that way he couldn't evade them. Soon both axes landed heavy hits to Faiz, as sparks flew off his armor, then fell to the ground. The Taurus Orphnoch reeled both weapons back into his hands, and quickly charged at fallen Faiz.

When he reached his target a bright light suddenly blinded him from out of nowhere.

"W-What!?" shouted the Taurus Orphnoch, baffled.

In his hand, Faiz carried the Faiz Shot and used its camera flash to blind his opponent. He placed it back before taking out a flashlight dubbed as Faiz Pointer. First, he quickly placed the phone back into the slot of the belt and then took out the Mission Memory. Secondly, Faiz inserted the Mission Memory onto the Pointer and placed it onto the Power Anklet on his left leg.

" **READY!"**

He flipped the phone open and pushed the button.

" **EXCEED CHARGE!"**

Faiz ran towards the Taurus Orphnoch and kicked him straight in the chest. Then a large red cone appeared and drilled through him. Faiz jumped into the cone and suddenly disappeared in red energy before reappearing behind his foe.

"Damn…" spoke the Taurus Orphnoch as blue flames appeared on him. He slowly turned around to look at Faiz's back. "Y-You may have won…but we….still have the advantage…."

Faiz simply ignored him and dialed 5-8-2-1.

" **AUTO VAJIN COME CLOSER!"**

"Tell me…What do you hope to gain by fighting us?"

Reaching for the Pointer and Mission Memory, Faiz placed the Pointer back in place along with the Memory as well. After inserting it back into the phone, Faiz took it off the slot before turning it into a gun once again.

"Just...what is your..."

Faiz didn't let him finish as he outright shot him before he exploded into blue flames and turned into carbon. After wards, he put the phone back into the slot.

Auto Vajin came and stopped in front of him.

Faiz mounted on the bike and turned the other direction.

"Why couldn't you have just instantly died?"


End file.
